諺語是人類智慧的結晶,是富于色彩的語言形式,它同文學作品、詩歌一樣,是語言的精華,一般具有生動形象、喻義明顯、富于哲理的語言特征。在一定程度上,諺語還能反映一個民族的文化特點。英語諺語源遠流長,它既有民間流傳的諺語,又有來自《圣經》的、莎士比亞作品的和《伊索寓言》的,還有很多外來諺語。以下輯錄了一些有關動物的英語諺語,請同學們欣賞!
1.Fish
(1)The best fish swim near the bottom. 好魚常在水底游。
(2)Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要班門弄斧。
(3)Go to the sea, if you would fish well. 不入虎穴,焉得虎子。
(4)There’s as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it. 海里的好魚多的是。(縱然失去一個機會,不愁沒有其他機會。)
(5)It is a silly fish that is caught twice with the same bait. 智者不上兩次當。
(6)If water is noisy, there are no fish in it. 咆哮的水中無魚。(夸夸其談者無真才實學。)
2. Cat
(1)A cat has nine lives. 貓有九條命。(吉人天相。)
(2)Cats hide their claws. 知人知面不知心。
(3)All cats are grey in the dark. 黑暗之中貓都是灰色的。(人未出名時看起來都差不多。)
(4)A gloved cat catches no mice. 戴手套的貓,抓不到老鼠。(不愿吃苦的人成不了大事業。)
(5)When the weasel and the cat make a marriage, it is a very ill presage. 黃鼠狼和貓結親,不是好事情。
(6)Who will bell the cat? 誰去給貓系鈴?(誰愿意為大家冒風險?)
(7)The cat shuts its eyes when stealing cream. 貓偷吃奶油的時候總是閉著眼睛。(掩耳盜鈴。)
(8)There are more ways of killing a cat than by choking it with butter.殺貓的辦法很多。(達到目的的途徑很多。)
(9)Care kill a cat. 憂慮愁死貓。
3. Chicken
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. 雞蛋未孵出,先別數小雞。(不要過早樂觀。)
4. Crow
A crow is never the whiter for washing herself often. 江山易改,本性難移。
5. Horse
(1)You can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make him drink. 帶馬到河邊容易,逼馬飲水難。
(2)Don’t ride the high horse. 勿擺架子。
(3)A good horse cannot be of a bad colour. 好馬不會毛色差。
(4)A horse may stumble on four feet. 馬有四條腿,亦有失蹄時。
(5)A running horse needs no spur. 奔馬無需鞭策。
(6)Don’t put the cart before the horse. 不要將大車放在馬前面。(處理問題應按先后次序,不要本末倒置。)
(7)The common horse is worst shoe. 公用之馬,掌子最差。
(8)Lock the barn door after the horse is stolen. 失馬之后鎖馬廄。(亡羊補牢。)
(9)Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. 饋贈之馬,勿看牙口。
(10)Hair by hair you will pull out the horse’s tail. 一根一根拔,拔光馬尾巴。(水滴石穿。)
6. Frog
The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean. 井底之蛙,不知大海。
7. Fox
(1)The fox may grow grey, but never good. 狐貍毛色可變灰,但是本性難移。
(2)The fox preys farthest from his hole. 狐貍捕食,遠離洞府。(兔子不吃窩邊草。)
(3)When the fox preaches, then take care of your geese. 每當狐貍說教,當心鵝群被盜。
(4)When the fox says he is a vegetarian, it’s the time for the hen to look out. 狐貍說它吃素的時候,母雞就得注意。